The effect of environmental criteria on purchasing processes: Opportunities and ri̇sks

As a result of environmental problems and the measures taken, the enterprises are now evaluated not only by their financial performance but also by their social and environmental performance. As a result, the concept of sustainability has become an important issue on the agenda of the business managers. In addition to being in compliance with environmental criteria, sustainability is also important in order to remain competitive. The procurement process is an important function of an environmental management approach. As a matter of fact, in order to produce a green product, the raw material used must be environmentally friendly. In addition, businesses can put pressure on suppliers to meet their environmental criteria by using their purchasing power or collaborate with their suppliers to minimize the environmental impact of the procurement process. The aim of the thesis is to reveal the opportunities and challenges that the enterprises in our country will implement for their environmental purchasing activities. In this study, enterprises operating in Sakarya province were used. Out of 25 firms, 16 firms were selected by easy sampling method and face-to-face formal interviews were conducted with the purchasing officers of 11 enterprises and a survey was conducted with the purchasing officers of 5 enterprises. The aim of the interview is to determine the impact of environmental criteria on purchasing processes and the opportunities and difficulties caused by environmental purchasing. Environmental procurement can provide some opportunities for businesses as well as some difficulties. In addition, a large literature study on environmental purchasing management has been conducted. General definitions, which may include all environmental purchasing criteria used in the literature, are used. Opportunities and risks identified by interview and questionnaire method and literature were translated into code form by using MAXQDA 10 programme and opportunities and risks encountered in enterprises were determined. In addition, local and foreign companies to buy environmentally friendly applications are included.